CARE's work in Europe

CARE’s work in Europe began in 1948 with the American-funded CARE packages to a continent ravaged by the Second World War. CARE then returned its focus towards eastern Europe with the onset of conflict in the Balkans in the 1990s.

An elderly woman in Kosovo

©CARE/Kate Holt

One of the largest non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) in the region, CARE was heavily involved in emergency relief efforts and established a solid reputation for distributing food, medicine and hygiene supplies in order to support individuals and communities in need – regardless of religious affiliation, ethnic background or national origin.

Now our work focuses on healing trauma, reconstruction, rehabilitating single and multi-ethnic communities and strengthening civil society, and other institutions, to encourage stability.

The area still faces major challenges, mainly characterised by political, economic and social transition. Unemployment levels are still high in many countries, as is poverty, which is as much as 40 percent in some areas. Minority groups and poor people are often excluded and deep ethnic, political and social divisions remain important social problems in the region.

There is still potential for violent conflict and one major ongoing issue is trafficking – of drugs and people. In Georgia, where CARE also works, civil strife, territorial conflicts and severe economic crisis have been prevalent since independence in May 1991 and poverty is high.

Regions